In The Palm Of Your Tiny Hand
by RapunzelInTheSnow
Summary: An accident involving the Hand of the Doctor at the Torchwood Warehouse resulted in five babies - Jack, Sam, Nikolai, Vida and Cadfan. Only, when Cadfan was four years old, he was taken by Genma Saotome, and named after the man's dead son, Ranma. Now discovered to be one of the Five Young Lords, Ranma must return...Co-author with kellym01.
1. Chapter 1

Torchwood Five was not that large – more of a storehouse for random bits of alien tech than anything else, located near the Welsh border. Around five or so people worked there – their qualifications were in cataloguing and creating databases for what they had. Occasionally Three would dump more stuff on them that was not useful and then it would be shifted into storage.

Simon Tuga was one of these people – his life was relaxed for the most part. As the eldest in his family, he knew about children, and often wished for one of his own, but never really being able to last in a relationship due to the demands of his job.

Jack Harkness was visiting today, a man who Simon was somewhat timid about talking to, holding a jar of some sort. He was currently describing what he was doing to Fi Caspersen, who was listening with a raised eyebrow.

"We found that some of the technology here might be Gallifreyan, so we came to check it out. There is a new category in the whole active/inactive sorting - _reactive. _It might react to the Hand."

Fi rolled her eyes. "You do realise that thing creeps me out? It is a living hand. A living hand, Jack. You might as well give it to the Addams family as a bride for the one they have."

Nodoka Saotome peered over – a new recruit, she often talked about the training journey that her son and husband were on. "It does sound interesting though! What would it do?"

Jack grinned. "Well, that's what we are going to find out, sweetie."

Simon ran up. "You brought the Hand of the Doctor here?" he yelped, before Nodoka shouted a warning. Water on the ground caused the unfortunate young man to skid, knock into Jack, who let go of the jar in surprise, which flew over their heads and crashed into a shelf, smashing it. Jack fell, Simon wrapped in his arms, and a blinding flash whipped past them. Nodoka gasped, Simon yelped and tried to scramble off of the Captain, Fi screamed and Jack stayed silent. A loud voice swore from a few aisles away and Joseph ran up. "What the hell just happened?" their boss screeched, face red with anger. Nodoka whimpered in pain – she had always had quite sensitive eyes – and another member of the team led her off to the infirmary.

A strange noise echoed and Fi ran over to the other side of the large shelving that the Hand had crashed into, letting out a strangled sound.

"Oh, God. It did react!" she called over in a high pitched voice, followed by a sound never heard in the storehouse before.

The cry of a child.

…

There were five of them. Five little babies – Jack whistled in a low tone.

"Better find out what species they are. Scan them?" he asked Joseph, who nodded to Fi. Fi pulled a scanning device (cobbled together from Judoon tech) and gulped as the results were displayed upon one of the screens.

"Jack…you may want to take a look at this" Fi called, her expression one of shock, Jack ran over to her and peered over her shoulder, his eyes widened in the process.

"But…that's impossible" Jack said slowly.

"What is?…What are they, Jack?" Joseph asked in a worried tone. Simon stayed silent – after all, this was his fault. He took off his jacket and wrapped around a baby with darkish hair and big, solemn grey eyes.

"They're…just not possible…they're Timelords." Jack stated, his tone one of fear, his eyes wide. Simon felt his stomach drop, but carried on cradling the baby. Fi kept scanning and turned to him.

"That is the only female you're holding, Simon."

"What does that matter?!" Joseph asked her. "What the hell are we going to do with them?!"

"We can't let them out of our sight, they were cloned from the Doctor's DNA and I can think of more than a few 'people' who would love to get their hands on them…" Jack pointed out.

Fi snorted. "Let them help us with the dirty nappies, then."

Jack frowned. "I'm serious, Fiona, they must be kept secret until we can come up with a more permanent solution," Jack explained.

Simon cleared his throat. "We could keep them. You know that we could…" he pleaded. Jack looked surprised but nodded. The man who had taken Nodoka away – Spike - came up at that point.

"Until her eyes recover properly, Mrs Saotome will be taking a leave of absence," he announced. Joseph groaned, muttering under his breath about females being better at this sort of thing and Fi sighed. "We could always call in Hannah – you know, my cousin? She retired to bring up her kid, but now Jim's at university she could help us. She was a Torchwood operative…"

"That is good – it's a good idea. We can't tell anyone about this – Don't you agree, Jack?" Joseph asked. Jack looked up from making faces at one of the babies, and Fi bit her lip, tugging off her coat and swaddling a baby in it. "They'll get too cold before long. Spike, go down to the village and get some baby supplies - quickly." Spike dumped his shirt before he did so, shivering in his T-shirt. Before long, the roar of his motorbike could be heard.

Jack smiled. "I think it would be a good idea. That technology that produced the tykes is similar to Dalek technology – only that bit cleverer – I had a quick look while Spike was yapping on about the sweetie. I'm taking the Hand away from here – call me if you need help, okay?" He picked up the Hand, making his way towards the exit.

Soon, all the babies were wrapped up as warmly as possible, and they had fallen asleep, allowing them to get a good look at them. The little girl was still clutching Simon's finger with a strong grip, and he sighed. Fi handed one to Joseph, laying two down by her and cradling one in her arms as she called Hannah, stating that it was an emergency, and could she possibly bring an overnight back and some of Jim's baby clothes? Evidently, her cousin agreed, and she ended the call, looking down at the baby she held.

He had darkish hair, and a sort of pale complexion, and had, before they closed, had brown eyes that blinked somewhat owlishly. The baby Joseph held had blue eyes and again, dark hair, but seemed to be crying crossly before he fell asleep. The smallest baby had lovely curling black hair, and green-blue eyes, the last boy had almost indigo eyes and pinkish cheeks alongside blond hair, and the girl had black hair and grey eyes that seemed to be a little unhappy.

"They're adorable, they truly are…" Fi said quietly, cradling the pale baby. The girl also had the same sort of complexion, but not quite. Simon smiled.

"I….I hope they all are happy. Truly."

…

Hannah arrived an hour after Spike, and laughed a little at the chaos that was going on. Spike was panicking with holding the blond-haired baby, who was waving his arms about as Spike tried to put him into clothes, managing it somewhat haphazardly. The tiniest one began to whimper and fuss, apparently having been left alone for the minute, so she stepped forward and scooped the green-eyed baby with a loving smile, cooing in a way that calmed him a little. She picked up the baby clothes that had been bought for the little girl, and slipped the bewildered baby into a dress.

"This one is such a princess!" she laughed, and Simon coughed, trying not to laugh while tucking a little pink all-in-one onto the little girl.

"That one's a boy, Hannah…." Fi said quietly and Hannah blinked before frowning at the little boy, who didn't seem to care much. She sighed but kept holding him.

"He's so sweet, and he doesn't mind…." she cajoled, and Fi rolled her eyes, but dived forward to the bag of baby clothes, handing Joseph a pair of leggings and a top with a little set of red stars on it for the blue-eyed baby. She dressed hers in a little dark blue all in one, and Hannah bit her lip.

"Do we have any cradles at all for them?" she asked, and they all looked surprised. She made a face but instructed Spike to order some from a good store which she gave him the number off, stressing that they should be brought immediately. In the middle of this, the babies looked around with wide eyes, unaware of the chaos that they had been causing.


	2. Chapter 2

It was four years later that the harmony was disrupted among the little group, codenamed by Torchwood Five the Five Young Lords. They had grown much further than the babies they had been – although they had been much harder to take care of when they were younger.

Jack, named after the Captain, was still as blond as when he had been a baby, although now he had shown he had a happy personality, forever leaving things where they shouldn't be as a sort of joke. His eyes were still a lovely indigo that sparkled when he was laughing.

Sam, a rather silent child, often could be found mucking about with technology, resulting in him being easy to care for – just give him some old parts and a screwdriver and he would be entertained for ages. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes, but his complexion was vaguely eerie.

Nikolai was still being dressed in female clothing and could sometimes be found going through Fi and Hannah's clothes – a trait Hannah encouraged and admitted as her fault entirely. He did look like a girl, as his black hair had been allowed to grow out long, and his sea-green eyes were surrounded by long, curling lashes – he made a beautiful picture however he was dressed.

Vida, the girl, had deep grey eyes that seemed too old and wise for the four-year-old face, which was framed by dark, straight hair that fell to her shoulders. She was reading much quicker than the others.

Cadfan, the last, had good reflexes brought on by Spike training him in a few martial arts. His curly dark hair and blue eyes fitted well with his somewhat tan complexion.

A large space had been cleared to act as a room for the five children, who always were looking for something to interest them. This morning, Vida and Sam were sorting through a box of Lego, taking the black bricks and then building what looked like some sort of large house with them, picking out little themed Lego bits to make it look better, talking in a quiet tone. Nikolai was trying to do some sort of sewing to create something – it looked like a rabbit. He was stuffing it with wool, and his curls were tied into two bunches. Jack was reading a book and turning it sideways to look at the pictures. Cadfan was clicking at a computer, playing a game of some sort, before Nikolai looked up with a smile, walking over to offer him something – a ladybird-shaped button.

"Can I have a go?" he asked, and Cadfan made a little face.

"I got to a good level, Nikky! Why don't you play with Vee and Sam?" he asked, and Vida looked up.

"Because he obviously wants to play with you…We could use both of you to look for things for the Black Castle!" She smiled widely, showing baby teeth, whereas Jack had lost his first baby tooth last week, opting to keep it in a box rather than let any 'stupid girly fairy' have it. Cadfan smiled, pausing the game and reaching out to take Nikolai's hand and pull him over.

"Me and Nikky are gonna build the Grey Castle!" he said adamantly, and Nikolai gave him a big smile. The Black and Grey Castles were something they had made up in a small world of theirs, and would often talk about the journeying knights (themselves, of course). Hannah came walking through with a smile, picking up Cadfan and holding him close. "Hello, my darlings!" she cooed, and Nikolai immediately rushed to hug her, while Cadfan muttered about not being a baby. She put him down gently and ruffled Nikolai's hair.

"Spike wants to go through more training today, but Fi and I thought you might want to have a snack afterwards, so what do you want?" she asked. Vida scrunched her nose up, and grinned suddenly. "Can I have gingerbread?"

"I want jam sandwiches!" Jack said loudly, and Sam bit his lip. He tugged on Hannah's sleeve, and whispered in her ear.

"Of course you can have banana, Sam…Cadfan? Nikolai? What do you want?"

Cadfan fiddled with his braid – his hair was quite long, and he refused to have it cut – and he made a stubborn face. "I want fruit skewers."

Nikolai hugged Cadfan and smiled. "Pear wheels, please!"

Hannah smiled gently, and Cadfan seized Nikolai and Sam's hands, pulling them through the sets of shelving towards the room where Spike would be waiting, while Vida and Jack ran after them.

…

After training, the children were led by Spike to the table, where there were several plates so that there was enough of each food for all the children to have some. Gingerbread men were on one small plate, sliced banana on another, jam sandwiches on yet another, pinwheel sandwiches filled with chopped pear on another, and fruit kebab-style things were on the last. As they were eating, Joseph walked in and gave Cadfan a grin. "So, how is training going?"

Cadfan grinned back and gave him a somewhat sticky thumbs up, while Sam sighed. He was good at defensive arts for his age, but the least capable of the group, whereas he excelled in their lessons that were not as practical. Vida was smart in each, and Nikolai was good at reading, but showed promise with their training – he did not get distracted as he normally would do when they were being taught. Jack was also good at their lessons, but did not pay enough attention.

Spike cleared his throat. "Everyone is doing well, Joseph. By the time they are grown, they will be better, probably, than me." He smiled quickly at Sam, who felt his spirits lift. If Spike didn't mind, it was okay.

After lunch, Nikolai was taken to a corner of the play area by Vida, who wanted to swop beads. These would often be given by Hannah or Fi if they behaved or might be bought especially. Sam was drawing ghosts, while Jack was attempting to learn what he had been told was another language on Earth – French. It was going quite well, but he could only say 'hello', 'thank you', 'good-bye' and 'dinosaur' and remember it. Cadfan had opted to go back to the computer and complete his level.

Vida looked up suddenly, frowning at Sam. "Did you want to sort out the tech again?" she asked, and Nikolai looked as well, before packing his beads away into the box he had been given for them. Sam shrugged but Vida pulled out a box from under the little wooden shelving, in which was several bits of metal and various screws. They began to sort through them and cobbled together some odd things, before undoing them and resorting. Nikolai gave a little huff and went to the wall hanger that he had been bought last Christmas, a My Melody themed one, and starting to sew the rabbit thing he had been making earlier.

…

It was night, and all the children were tucked up, various toys and bits of tech scattered around their play-space. Vida held tightly on to her favourite toy, a bunny with a little ribbon tied around its neck and a tutu – typically the type of thing a child might like. The unknown man let his face soften as he looked at the children. Sam had a toy which looked like a cuddly Ood, and Jack was clinging to a dinosaur. Nikolai was holding a bear in a pink jumper. He could remember a time when his son looked just as peaceful, looked just as calm and happy – although the last time he had seen him like that it had been too peaceful. The man caught his breath as his gaze rested on Cadfan.

_He looks just like my son._

Quietly, he tugged the boy's stuffed bear from his arms, scooping him into his arms. It was Ranma, back from the dead! No need for anyone to worry – he would train his son all over again, no one needed to know that Ranma Saotome lay buried in a grave. This, for all anyone knew, _was _Ranma Saotome.

…

When it was discovered that Cadfan was missing the next morning, the children began to howl and cry, Hannah and Fi sobbing. They would try everything to track him down, but it would all be for naught.

Slowly, without anyone noticing, they accepted that he was as good as dead, and the children grieved until they knew, if anyone asked, that Cadfan was gone. Not dead, they would never say dead, but gone forever.


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is written by kellym01 (as well as a little editing from myself) – Snow~**

Now several years later, the small baby had grown up to become the greatest martial artist of his generation, but at such a price, he grew up not because he wanted to but because he had to, to survive, he was put through more than a decade of hell, under the misleading name of 'training.'

A lot had happened since that fateful night - he had trained in the worst possible way, such as when he was five and Genma had 'taught' him to swim by throwing him into the ocean, a rope tied around his gut and after a couple minutes he'd pull him back up so Ranma could catch his breath, before beating him for not learning and tossing him back into the water. Soon Ranma had learned and then Genma tied large rocks to his limbs and tossed him back in, telling him to swim to shore, beating him every time he had to pull him out. This continued for three months, at least.

When he was six, Genma tossed him off cliffs to strengthen his body's stamina so he could take more hits. In the same year he was put through the Neko-Ken and when he was seven 'speed training' began - Genma would tie some meat to him and throw him into the sight of a pack of hungry wolves and tell him to escape. When Ranma became fast enough Genma repeated the training, attaching heavy objects to his limbs with rope. The strain nearly tore his muscles, bringing him great pain – by now, he knew that crying would only earn him another severe beating – weakness was not tolerable within a martial artist.

The training had gotten worse with every year and when he came to Nerima his life only became worse – sure, the 'training' stopped but it had a price for him to have whether he chose this or not - he found himself engaged to a violent tomboy who would rather kill him than be nice to him, she blamed him for everything that went wrong. So did the others - even when the dojo destroyer came and he stepped in when Akane had all but lost and he worked with her to defeat the threat she decided had gotten in her way and it was her duty to defend her school.

That was only the beginning, as from then on Akane found and used every opportunity she had to beat him and then when the Amazons showed up it got worse, originally Akane didn't have much of a problem with the amazon and even turned Ranma into a girl so said Amazon would try to kill her but when by accidently 'defeating' said Amazon (when in fact she had knocked herself out when her own bomborio hit her on the head) and he ended up engaged to her, Akane decided it was his fault and started beating him even more, even when Shampoo 'hugged' him and he tried to escape, the enraged Akane would beat him.

And then there was Kodachi and Ukyo, both wanting to marry him and kill him, Ukyo his old childhood friend - his only friend- turned up trying to kill him for something Genma did and Kodachi wanted to marry him while kill his female form. Then there was the failed wedding - that's when it all struck Ranma; he was trapped and was going to suffer eternally, he had killed Saffron, a phoenix god and was about to marry Akane when the other fiancés intervened. He had defeated his strongest enemy and nothing had changed.

Ranma was currently eating his lunch that Kasumi made him beneath his tree, alone, Ranma enjoyed the moments of peace he had, when he could finally rest, have a break from the chaos, he felt the sun's rays cast over him as his upper torso hid in the shade. He knew it wouldn't last long and soon his fiancés would arrive to feed him, the only random part was if a rival showed up before Akane malleted him for been a jerk and a pervert.

'Sometimes I just wonder if this worth it, day after day the same thing happens, I wake up soaked and sparring with a panda, I change back into a guy, head to school, run in with Kuno, kick him into Leo, get drained by Hinako for been late, by the time I fully recover I've missed most of class, at lunch I eat what I have, my fiancés show up, I get malleted far across Nerima and have to walk back and at some point or another I run into a rival and fight and then I go 'home' and get insulted by Akane and her usual logic before getting malleted again before going to bed and then the cycle begins again' Ranma mused to himself as he let out a depressed sigh, eyes staring up at the leaves waving in the slight breeze.

Then he heard it, the bike bell, he knew there was no point in moving when Shampoo's bike would hit him and sure enough it did. Within seconds it was removed and Shampoo was offering him ramen, then Ukyo came up to him and began forcing okinomiyaki down his throat.

"Look, I don't want any ramen or okinomiyaki!" Ranma practically screamed, his fiancés paid him little attention.

"See, Ranchan doesn't want you and your ramen so why don't you leave us alone" Ukyo spat venomously at the Amazon, who blew a raspberry in response.

"No airen say he no want Spatula girl okinomiyaki, you go bie bie now" Shampoo responded smugly, and Ukyo glared. Ranma let out another depressive sigh and slowly stood and pushed past his fiancés, heading back to the school building and hoping he'd be able to find somewhere peaceful to finish his lunch. He knew it was futile.

"Where you going, Ranchan?" Ukyo asked.

"Airen, wait for Shampoo!" Shampoo called as she and Ukyo ran up beside him and hugged onto his arms, pushing their chests into his upper arms in the process.

"Please, just leave me alone…" Ranma sighed, he could feel it, deep within him his rage was boiling, telling him to _stop taking this shit_ but Ranma dared not listen to it - he would not hurt them, would not fight them, not unless he had to and right now he didn't.

Ukyo heard his tone and froze, her eyes widening slightly, she looked up to see Ranma's eyes cascaded, watching the ground intently as he waited for them to let go or for something to happen.

'That tone, I've heard Ranma use it before, it's not arrogant, cocky, confident, not even sad…it's empty…' Ukyo gasped as her thoughts led her to this conclusion, her eyes widening.

"RANMA, YOU PERVERTED JERK!" Akane screamed having seen Ukyo and Shampoo hugging his arms. She whipped out her mallet, charging at him, pulling it back before swinging it at him in a golf like fashion, hitting his face as it was locked on the ground, his body tearing free of his fiancés' grasp and was sent flying, watching as the people on the ground got smaller and smaller.

'Who knows, maybe this time…when I land…it will all be over' Ranma thought to himself. His gaze then locked on Akane's expression - she was smirking and the look in her eyes, when Ranma saw that something within him died and he unlocked it. One of the most dangerous techniques of the Anything Goes School, a black aura surrounding him in a fire like fashion, his eyes gained a dead look in them.

'She really does hate me and…I…am truly alone' Ranma thought within his mind as the last bit of emotion within his mental voice died, he repositioned his flight pattern so he would land head first and from the height he was at and the speed he would fall he was certain the minute he hit the ground he'd die and be free, finally free of this hell on Earth. If only Ranma had seen where he was going to land.

Meanwhile…

Nodoka had been drinking her tea in her garden, enjoying the summer air - it was so hot and the summer breeze most enjoyable she was content with everything, her only wish been that her son could be there to share it with her.

A loud crash was heard and clouds of dirt and dust clouded Nodoka's view and she turned, trying to find the source and what had happened, a flashback to a similar incident from her past filling her with a peculiar sense of dread. When the smoke cleared, she saw a large crater taking up more than half her garden. Slowly, she headed to the edge, expecting to see a meteor or some debris from a space craft - it wouldn't be the first time, after all. But what she saw took her breath away in a tearing, dizzying motion, her eyes filled with a sick horror, tears streaming down her cheeks as she tried to gasp for air.

For within the crater was Ranma's body, stood upside down, a stump of what used to be his head standing in a thickening pool of blood, the body flopped down, chest in the ground.

"Ranma…no…it can't…be…Ranma" Nodoka stuttered, her tears increasing.

Nodoka remained still, eyes locked on the headless corpse as blood continued to pour out, and then she fell to her knees. Ignoring the fact that her kimono was getting filthy in the upturned mud, Nodoka pounded her fists on the ground in her rage and grief, swearing she would find whoever did this to her son and avenge him by putting them through the slowest and most gruesome death they could possibly imagine. Her son, her baby boy who she had once thought she would lose completely in the hands of Genma - a baby she had held in her arms, eyes softly cast upon him as he curled and uncurled his tiny fists. No one should have taken him away from her, no matter what the reason.

The body flinched, Nodoka's eyes widening in shock as a yellow energy slowly curled out of the hole where the head once was and began to reshape until the head was restored, all injuries on his body healed and soon there laid an unconscious Ranma, looking so peaceful, the only sign of a struggle been the damaged clothing. Nodoka couldn't believe what she had just witnessed, she rushed to her child's side and pulled him into her embrace, cradling him, continuing her weeping, no longer knowing if they were tears of great sorrow or joy.

Meanwhile…

A man in a large coat was scanning with a device some miles away, and his eyebrows shot up with what he was reading.

"Hello, what's this?" he murmured, eyes sparkling with humour, his eyebrows furrowing slightly in confusion when the results of the scan were confirmed.

'But that's…impossible!' he gasped within his mind, although his face did not flicker one bit.


	4. Chapter 4

Ranma's eyes squeezed shut before slowly opening, his sight temporarily blinded by the bright light of day. It took him a second to realize he was alive, that he wasn't lying on the hard ground but in the arms of another. He tilted his head to see the face of the one holding him.

'Mom?' Ranma thought to himself, his mental tone weak.

It took Nodoka less than a second to see Ranma was awake. Her eyes widened with joy, joy that her son was alive, no longer caring as to how he had survived the fall. But then her joy dimmed when she saw it, the empty look in his eyes, so dark…so alone.

"Ranma…you're awake" Nodoka choked out, tears streaming down her cheeks, eyes reddening.

'Great…even my own mother hates me…' Ranma thought to himself, his expression becoming consumed by one of depression.

"Ranma, who did this to you?" she asked her voice shaking in as she continued to struggle to contain her sobs. Her son had died, she had seen it, she had heard of his rivals yes, she knew about the fights. But someone actually tried to do it and succeeded. Ranma turned away, not wanting to face his mother; he didn't want someone else to lecture him on being nice to Akane, especially after what she did to him.

"No one" Ranma replied, his voice void of all emotion.

'She hates me…then again what else is knew…everyone hates me, they either want to kill me or possess me' Ranma's thoughts continued to circle in dark places within himself as his heart sank deeper and deeper into the vast pit of depression that had been growing since his father took him on that training journey and made him feel a little more worthless the more training he undertook.

"Tell me Ranma…who did this to you?" Nodoka continued, her tone hardening in rage.

"Why?" Ranma choked out, diving out of his mother's arms and falling down into the crater, rolling down the slope, rolling to a stop at its centre, the stench of blood still fresh and thick. Ranma slowly stumbled to his feet, he felt strange, his body…it felt stronger, he felt no physical pain from the mallet or the fall.

"Why?" Nodoka mimicked, confusion infiltrating her tone.

"Why do you care?" Ranma yelled, memories of the contract of what his mother had said when he was Ranko, memories of her admitting to letting Genma take him.

"I'm your mother, of course I care when someone tries to kill my baby" Nodoka replied, physically hurt by her son's question.

"Mother? You threatened to kill me if I didn't become what you wanted, force me to commit ritual suicide, you abandoned me as a baby to that bastard and like all the others try to push me and Akane together" Ranma snarled, lashing out at his mother, a dark aura forming around him. The ultimate technique that only those who have truly suffered can master, the aura of eternal damnation.

Nodoka's tears increased and streamed down her face, the words struck her very core, she tried to deny them but knew she couldn't. No, what Ranma said was true, every word.

"Well guess what _mom_ I wouldn't call this manly behaviour so go and get that katana and do what you've been waiting to do since you abandoned me, watch me commit seppuku!" Ranma continued, louder and louder whilst Nodoka could no longer see clearly and could only shake her head.

"No Ranma…I've lost you once…twice…I won't lose you again…I'm sorry…please, Ranma, I beg of you forgive me" Nodoka pleaded, falling forward, palms slamming on the ground.

"Tell me Ranma…who did this?" Nodoka continued when Ranma didn't reply, his bangs hiding his face.

"Who do you think? Who is the only one who has ever managed to hit me across Nerima like this?" Ranma spat, Nodoka thought for a second, she hadn't seen anyone do that to Ranma. Ranma took Nodoka's silence as an invitation to continue.

"Yeah, that mallet wielding tomboy did this…guess you want me to go apologise" Ranma sighed, his anger having been swallowed by depression.

'There's no point to this…arguing…no matter what I will go back and apologise to Akane…she will get off scot free and the same thing will happen tomorrow…and the day after…and the day after that' Ranma thought to himself, head bowed.

'Tomboy? But the only one Ranma calls a tomboy is…AKANE…she was the one who did this? But whenever I was at the Tendos she was so nice, a little angel in need of a little guidance in the traditional roles of been a wife, a tad aggressive at times sure…but never anything near this…and Ranma thinks I'm going to force him to go apologise to her for killing him?' Nodoka brought her hands up to cover her mouth as she realized that was what she and the fathers always did, they forced him to apologise, admitting he was always in the wrong, she hated to think how many times her little boy had to apologise to the girl because she hit him.

Ranma began to climb out of the crater, intending to make his way back to the Tendos.

"No" her voice was but a whisper but he heard it, Ranma heard it, he froze, his body stiffening, he slowly turned to face his mother once again. Nodoka's head shot up and she made eye contact with Ranma, fires blazing within her eyes, her hands becoming fists.

"You will not apologise to her…I had no idea she could be this violent and get the impression this isn't a single isolated incident…as of now the Saotome Tendo agreement is null and void. There is no honour in abusive behaviour. I will go and tell them this and if they object I will get the authorities involved for abuse, attempted murder and theft" Nodoka spat, the last one more for Genma than the others.

Ranma stared at his mother, about to say something, do something, anything to reassure himself that the nightmare he had been living daily was finally over, not really believing that this would really be happening, before the gate opened, boots treading up the path. A European man with one raised eyebrow stood there, grinning with some kind of machine in his hand.

"Well, it _does _look like we have a Gallifreyan in our midst!" he announced cheerfully. Nodoka gaped.

"Captain Jack Harkness?" she asked, looking dazed. The man winked towards her in a decidedly flirtatious manner.

"Why, if it isn't Miss Nodoka Saotome! I haven't seen you in some years. Not since we got the little ones – of course, they aren't so little anymore! And they've missed you!" He turned to Ranma as he said this, who frowned.

"Who?" Ranma asked, confusion slightly infiltrating his tone.

Jack blinked.

"You" Jack replied, tilting his head to the side. "I mean, your genetics are a perfect match. Don't you remember the others?"

Ranma frowned. "I don't…I don't know what you…"

"Of course you do!" Jack replied, but Ranma's expression merely altered into one of confusion.

"Oh…you really don't, do you?" Jack said, eyes widening in realisation. "Well, you were quite small…Damn, only four, no wonder you don't remember…"

"What are you talking about? I've been in training since I was three, right Mom?"

Nodoka nodded, but Jack shook his head after his eyes went wide.

"Nodoka, that...he is not your son. He's a Timelord, brought to life from the Doctor's hand – hah, that was actually a little bit my fault, I let go of the jar, if you remember…The flash of light was the cloning. Some Hath tech got mixed up with the Timelord stuff…" Jack rubbed the back of his head.

"You mean…but that's not possible…Genma took Ranma from me…we reunited…he's my son!" Nodoka argued, rising to her feet, brushing some dirt ineffectively off the soiled kimono

'But if what Jack says is true…it would explain…' Nodoka wasn't even willing to finish this thought. No. Ranma was her son, her baby, if he wasn't her son…

"I'm sorry Nodoka but according to my equipment…Ranma here is a Timelord…see, two heartbeats" Jack argued turning the screen on the devise so Nodoka could see it. Her fists turned white when she saw the readings.

"Ranma is my son Jack…please don't take that away" Nodoka begged, her voice dropping to a near silent whisper. If Ranma wasn't her son, then where was her baby?

"Perhaps we should have a talk with Genma…Ranma here went missing, years ago…perhaps he can shed some light on the subject." Jack proposed.

"Fine" Nodoka spat. "Genma, just wait until I get my hands on you" she hissed, her voice lower than a whisper, she ducked into her house before coming back out, katana in hand, eyes narrowed with a killer gleam within them.

Ranma looked up at Jack in horror. "What do you mean?"

"My Japanese is a bit rusty…Oh, fortunately, Jack Junior speaks it well, as does Vida. Well, the thing is, Ranma…you're a member of a small group of beings who were cloned from the DNA of a Timelord, you went missing when you were four. We were never sure how you got out of the base but it looks like Nodoka's husband has the answer to that." Jack explained.

'So I'm not a…Saotome?...But then what am I? Some alien clone? A crime against nature…maybe that's why I have had to endure this life…because I deserve it…I don't deserve to live' Ranma thought to himself, tears brewing in his eyes, the dark aura around him flared for a brief second before he reabsorbed it.

"Your name isn't Ranma. We called you Cadfan, from what I have heard. But it looks like you have grown up with that name, so you can keep whichever name you want." Jack smiled. "It's actually pretty amazing – Timelords are virtually extinct, but you and your kind are some of the last!"

"Cadfan?" Ranma muttered, the name sounded so alien to him, yet somehow familiar. But he wasn't Cadfan, no, he was Ranma Saotome. He had to be, because the only one meant to go through what he had by Fate's reasoning was Ranma Saotome.

"Ranma…after we have spoken to Genma we will have to take you back to base, Ranma when you die you won't die you'll regenerate and each time it becomes more destructive with each regeneration cycle…you're a time bomb Ranma but when we get you back to base you won't be dangerous and you will be with your family" Jack continued, not hearing Ranma's mutter.

'Family?...ha, like I need another family, my mom threatens to force me to commit suicide and my father abused me and has forced me to fear any member of the feline family, like I need any more family!' Ranma thought to himself bitterly, memories of his past, his past as a Saotome flashing before his mind eye. A lot of it seemed to involve pain and angry women.


	5. Chapter 5

The place? A large warehouse room, a corner of which had rusty pipes lying about and hanging from the ceiling, with support from almost invisible wires to ensure they stayed where they were. The occupants of this room had wanted them to stay there – they made a good den, after all. On an 'X' shape formed by two of these pipes, a slender figure perches in a lazy manner – a girl with braided dark hair who checked the blade of her sword by running a finger against it before turning to a blond boy in front of her, who was grinning widely in spite of the glare she aimed his way.

"I don't believe you." Her voice was flat with annoyance, but it didn't seem to bother the boy.

"Oh, believe me! I got Sam to hack the signals and live records, didn't I, Sam?" He turned to a mess of tubing, tarps, and pipes, underneath which, in the shadow, a figure was tapping away at high speed on a laptop. The boy he was talking to looked up from the light of his laptop before nodding and hunching over again, almost seeming to listen to the clicks of the computer before typing again.

The blond boy grinned and moved forward¹. "They found him, Vee! They found Cadfan!" He waited, and the girl slowly nodded before leaping forward, moving too quickly and shoving him to the ground where he sprawled, attempting to sit up before she landed atop of him and pushed her sword flat against his throat, eyes narrowed.

"It isn't him. Nothing could be him. Jack, you breathe a single word of this to Nikolai, and my sword won't be so blunt the next time I hold it to your jugular." She bared her teeth before he rolled, dislodging her and jumping to his feet, not smiling as much anymore.

"Yeah, to people like us that would be so fatal, Vida. Don't assume I'm stupid, because I know that you know I'm anything but. Nikolai doesn't need to know this yet. Even if they did find Cadfan, I doubt the poor boy would remember much. He was only four."

"So was Nikolai, and he remembers Cadfan…" A quiet voice, echoing from beneath the pipes. Vida settled back to where she had been sitting.

"If that boy doesn't remember, I don't care. He's still not Cadfan." She went back to running her finger over the blade of the sword and Jack sloped off to sit under the pipes with Sam.

_Meanwhile…_

Nodoka led to the duo to the Tendo dojo, Jack only a step or so behind her and Ranma? Well, he was quite a few paces back, his memories flashing before him, of how this had come to happen, going as far back as Akane asking him if they wanted be friends to her satisfied smirk as she malleted him up to the point Jack had explained to him what he truly was. He'd been telling Jack about everything, and it had brought back his own memories of it.

'_Why me? Why does it have to be me who's basically immortal…never_ _dying'_ Ranma inwardly cursed. Dying might have solved it all.

They rounded the final corner, and stepped through the gate and onto the Tendo estate. When they approached the door, Nodoka lightly knocked, deciding it best she didn't enter on her own as she had done before since as far as she was concerned she wasn't the beloved auntie or even acquaintance of the family that had allowed her…allowed Ranma to be abused on a daily basis to the point he regretted surviving the fall. As far as Nodoka was concerned, they were no longer anyone beloved of her. What had she even seen in Genma?

'_He thinks I haven't noticed,but he's wrong! When he opened his eyes for the first time after he regenerated…they were empty, soulless and his expression was one of disappointment...'_ Nodoka inwardly spat, her eyes narrowing as she heard footsteps approaching the door.

The door opened to reveal none other than Kasumi Tendo, wearing her usual smile, not a care in the world or a single impure thought, the picture of pure innocence and yet she didn't even try to help her…to help Ranma when he was so clearly been physically and emotionally abused to the point he didn't want to live. She tried not to glad at her

"Oh hello auntie, what brings you here and who is your gentlemen friend?" Kasumi asked as she stepped aside allowing the trio to enter her home, Jack took a step towards Kasumi, extending his hand with a charming smile.

"Captain Jack Harkness - a pleasure to meet you, Miss Tendo," he introduced, and the minute Kasumi took his hand he gave it a small twist before lifting it and placing an innocent kiss on the back, Kasumi merely blinking in response.

"It is very nice to meet you Mr Captain!" Kasumi replied with pure innocence, Jack blinked in response.

'_I must be out of practise...'_Jack thought to himself as he allowed Kasumi to withdraw her hand.

'_Good luck Jack. You're going to need it. I'm not even sure her father gave her the 'talk', since his wife died he's completely useless. Kasumi does the chores, Nabiki the finance so no doubt they never received the 'talk' and it would explain why Akane dislikes boys so much if she found out about 'it' through the internet...'_ Nodoka mused.

Kasumi proceeded to lead the trio towards the dining room before heading off to make some tea. Nodoka's eyes narrowed on her bastard of a husband, sat in front of Soun, playing shogi, her gaze moving to find the youngest Tendo glaring at her so…at Ranma.

"Husband, I need to have a _word_ with you about this engagement," Nodoka said, her tone starting out as normal before slowly descending into one of steel. Jack stiffened and wisely took a step back. The last time Nodoka had used that tone…well, let's just say it still gave him nightmares. Nodoka could be scary when she wanted to be.

"Oh really?" Genma asked, suddenly fearful as he turned to face his wife, his gaze instantly flying to the katana on her back.

"Yes, I am dissolving it." Nodoka stated, it took a minute for what she said to register with the others.

"WHAT!?" Soun and Genma yelled together.

"Many things have come to light today husband. Firstly I learn that my son died on that accursed training trip and that you then kidnapped another boy and put him through the same hell you put our child through without mercy. But to make things even worse, I find that Akane has been more abusive than you in some ways meaning that even if Ranma was my child the engagement would be over. She's physically abused him as well as emotionally to the point he was willing and attempted to commit suicide by landing full force, maximum speed on his head after his fiancé malleted him without cause or reason." Nodoka snarled.

Nodoka was so focused on Genma and Akane she didn't notice a black aura surround Ranma as his head further bowed and his shoulders slumped.

"What are you talking about? Of course Ranma is our son, what evidence do you have that he isn't? And as for putting him through hell that's an incredible exaggeration I merely put him through a filtered version of my own training!" Genma spat.

"THE PERVERT DESERVED IT!" Akane spat, still not noticing how Ranma's black seemed to grow with every word.

"The evidence we have is residual regeneration energy only found in species like Ranma and scans indicate he isn't human - so how could he be your son?" Jack questioned. That shut Genma up.

"You claim that it was only training, but that wasn't training, that was torture. Ranma has told me everything and I doubt you were ever put through the Neko-Ken since it only works with children and _don't_ give me that _shit_ of you putting him through the same thing you did. As I already said, you didn't endure the Neko-Ken and to further disprove you, you were an adult already trained when you endured what Happosai did. Ranma was an untrained incredibly young child!" Nodoka spat.

Nodoka turned to face Akane.

"From what Ranma has told me those girls harassed him and yet you call him the pervert when he so clearly dislikes what they do. And Akane, would you please tell me how you came to learn about such perverted things. I doubt your mother told you since she died when you were barely walking, your father is too much of an emotional wreck, your sisters weren't aware and I doubt the boys at school ever went into detail on the matter and if the girls were the ones who told you, you would avoid them both, so tell me Akane, where did you learn?" Nodoka questioned. Akane's entire body turned a deeper shade of red than Ranma-chan's hair, and she averted her gaze.

"Tell me, Akane..." Nodoka pushed.

'_This girl has tortured Ranma since he arrived, humiliated him whenever she could, made fun of his curse, used it to cause him pain and made all of Nerima believe him more of a pervert than Happosai, it's time I paid her back!' _Nodoka sneered, recalling how Ranma told her that when Shampoo wanted to kill his girl form, she deliberately activated his curse numerous times and whenever in public she'd call him a pervert and declare all her false accusations, never apologising or admitting she was wrong even when it was so obvious.

Akane turned a deeper shade of red, turning her head away from Nodoka.

"Answer me, Tendo!" Nodoka sneered, Akane mumbled an inaudible response.

"What was that?" Nodoka spat.

"Online…videos..." Akane admitted quietly, refusing to look Nodoka in the eye.

"Look me in the eye, Akane, and tell me how you found out, what you were watching..." Nodoka sneered, Akane turned to face Nodoka and made eye contact.

"FINE! I WATCHED PORN!" Akane screamed.

"Perhaps you should focus more on your grammar young lady - you said it in the past tense" Nodoka stated, Akane took this a sign to bolt from the room, not noticing Nabiki head up stairs.

'_I must be losing my edge to not know this…I bet Kuno would pay through the nose for a copy of Akane's internet history'_ Nabiki mused, yen signs appearing in her eyes.

Kasumi re-entered the room, tea in hand and began to supply their guests with the beverage.

'_What was that Akane was talking about earlier? Porn? Maybe I should ask father about it and if he doesn't know maybe good doctor Tofu could tell me...' _Kasumi mused.

"Despite your reasons, Nodoka, and your humiliation of my daughter, the engagement stands. Ranma even if not your biological child is a Saotome and you have no say in this matter, it's men's business" Soun wailed, tears streaming down his cheeks after hearing his daughter's confession.

"Actually he isn't a Saotome. Ranma was never legally adopted" Jack stated, dissolving all relevance of Soun's argument.

"How dare you speak to me with such disrespect?!" Nodoka hissed, slightly lifting the katana from the sheath that bound.

"Now, now Nodoka, he's not worth it, don't become a murderer, you'd be as bad as Genma" Jack coaxed. Nodoka stiffened, his words echoed throughout her mind, _'as bad as Genma'. That_ was something she wouldn't wish on her greatest enemy, and she sheathed her weapon.

"Well, well, what have we here?" Happosai questioned as he appeared atop the dining table, smoking his pipe.

"Master, you have to stop her, she is going to take Ranma away and dissolve the engagement!" Soun wept, Happosai glared at Nodoka only to stiffen when he saw what was behind her.

"Shit..." Happosai muttered, his eyes locked on Ranma and the aura that surrounded him.

'_They've pushed him too far…that technique, that aura, the one of depression, a defensive move so we're safe as long as we don't piss him off...' _Happosai analysed.

"You can take him...just...please keep him locked up!" Happosai begged.

"WHAT?!" Genma and Soun screamed in perfect sync.

"Don't you see it, you fools?" Happosai snapped.

"See what?" Genma questioned.

"We've pushed him too far...that technique is the ultimate technique, the last resort, one that should never be used and can only be learned by enduring true torture. We have pushed Ranma to the point that his body and mind alike are now unable to cope. What we see now is merely a defensive move, which is why we're still alive. That black aura is one of pure depression, pure, simple and deadly, it forces all those who make contact with it to endure all the torture the user has ever endured in his life and feel what they feel every second of every day...we touch that black aura and we would be put through everything, the traumatizing Neko-Ken, the mental damage of been cursed to turn into something that made him feel defenseless and weak, the emotional damage caused by his fiances, by Akane, by his mother threatening to kill him...every negative feeling and event that has occurred since his birth will be forced upon the one who touches it and even those who have enough will power to break contact the user is the only one who can release the victim of the pain...the worst of it is, this is only a defense shield of sorts, not an offensive attack." Happosai took a drag of his pipe,

"What do you mean?" Soun questioned.

"Think about it, that aura uses any emotion for fuel and magnifies to protect the user, depression is a shield. Anger and rage, however, is a deadly attack and with rage like Ranma's he could level cities without even trying if he allowed the aura to be fueled by his rage...so as long as Ranma remains somewhat calm we are safe, but he's still dangerous," Happosai explained before turning to look directly at Captain Jack. "You can take him but lock him up, keep him sedated and never antagonize him." he warned.

Jack merely hummed in response. He already had a solution, but he'd be damned if he'd tell Happosai.

"But what about the schools?" Genma pushed, Happosai and turned and gave the cursed disciple a death glare.

"Are you deaf or just plain stupid, I've met Gods, Devils, Angels and Demons in my time an not one of them would dare face someone with this power, let the kid go, he's a teenager full of hormones, his emotions unstable with a power that is made destructive by his emotions, if Ranma had used this against Saffron then the fight would of been over before it even began and that's if Saffron didn't flee first, let the kid go or risk an apocalypse by forcing him to stay and into a loveless marriage with an abusive wife" Happosai snarled, Genma paled and stood down.

"Good now that, that's over we just have to ensure that the remaining engagements are called off" Nodoka stated before leading Ranma and Jack out of the Tendo household "Good day Tendos, Genma, pray I don't return and Soun I suggest you have that 'talk' with your daughters, it is long over due" she called back.

Kasumi turned to face her father.

"Father, what's porn? and what is this 'talk' auntie was talking about?" Kasumi asked, Soun let his tears fly like geysers.

"Waa my little girls growing up waa she's already asking about sex" Soun wailed, Kasumi blinked.

"Sex? What's sex?" Kasumi questioned, this only increased Soun's tears, P-Chan then floated past on small boat, floating upon Soun's excess tears.

"HOW THE HELL DID I GET HERE, RANMA THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT" P-Chan squealed.

Meanwhile...

Nodoka led the duo into Ukyo's restaurant to find business was been very slow today.

"Ah Ranchan and momma Saotome what are you doing here, not that I'm complaining" Ukyo greeted them, she stiffened when she saw Ranma didn't even acknowledge her presence and merely focused on the floor, a black aura surrounding his body.

"Ukyo I have come to dissolve the engagement" Nodoka stated.

"What? Why? What grounds do you have?" Ukyo snarled.

"Ranma isn't a Saotome so the engagement is without worth anyway" Nodoka stated, not noticing how Ranma's black aura seemed to grow ever so slightly.

"But what about my dowry?" Ukyo snarled.

"That is something you would have to take up with my soon to be ex-husband...I'm sorry for all the problems Genma has caused you with his lies and I hope that after all this is sorted you can return to your family with no ill feelings" Nodoka responded.

"My mother died while I was hunting Genma and Ranma, I missed the funeral, only found out as a side note in my father's letter telling me to either marry Ranma or kill him, he won't take me back, do this and I'll be ronin" Ukyo spat.

"So you're trapped...I'm sorry...we have both been victims in Genma's web of lies, I lost my son and you your family, allow me to make some amends, if you desire it, you may join my clan, I will adopt you as my daughter...or son depending which you would prefer" Nodoka proposed.

"You would...take me in?" Ukyo gasped out, her voice breaking a little, it had been so long since she had been offered such kindness, especially without any strings attached, she couldn't believe it, no matter how much she wanted to, she was just too scared.

"Of course I would, heck I'd be honored to have you as my child" Nodoka replied.

_'She's even trying to replace me'_ Ranma inwardly said, his mental tone one of depression, his aura grew once again, be it near unnoticeable.

"What about Ranma?" Ukyo questioned.

"He is going to be taken to a...government facility to be with others of his kind, you see Ranma isn't...human" Nodoka explained.

"You mean...after today...I'll never see him again?" Ukyo gasped, her voice breaking and tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.

"Of course you can, I'll arrange for you to visit him" Nodoka replied.

"You know you could always take up your old position and bring Ukyo here with you so Ranma has a friend with him when he is reunited with his siblings" Jack proposed.

_'Siblings?'_ Ukyo questioned.

"I'll consider it" Nodoka replied before turning back to Ukyo "So what is your answer?" Nodoka asked in a nurturing tone, Ukyo pounced on Nodoka bringing her arms around her neck in a strong hug.

"I would be honored to be your daughter...mom" Ukyo cried out, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks and staining Nodoka's kimono.

"Well...that was easier than the last one, so that just leaves one more engagement left" Jack stated, Nodoka looked back at him.

"Yeah, the Amazons" Nodoka stated.

Later...

The trio entered the cat cafe, leaving Ukyo behind to start getting ready to move in with Nodoka. Tsubasa and Konatsu had been roped in by Nodoka to help Ukyo.

Once they entered Ranma was instantly attacked by a rather busty and hyper Chinese Amazon, she stiffened the minute she entered his aura, her eyes widened tears began brewing and falling with ease, her grip weakened and she fell to her knees, head bowed as she was completely consumed by Ranma's depression.

"Ranma stop" Jack commanded, Ranma didn't even blink, he simple gaze into nothing.

"Ranma, please" Nodoka begged, resisting the urge to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, Ranma's eyes shook at hearing her voice but remained unseeing, his aura began to retract, been reabsorbed into his body until none of it remained, Shampoo then simply fell unconscious, Nodoka embraced Ranma in a motherly hug, lightly tracing circles upon his back.

"How did Ranma learn that technique?" Cologne questioned as she approached the trio.

"By learning that Akane truly hated him and found pleasure in abusing him and from your reaction I take it you know just how dangerous it is" Nodoka stated as she released Ranma, turning to face the miniature elder.

"Yes I am aware of how dangerous it is" Cologne replied.

"Then I doubt you would be too opposed in releasing Ranma from his engagement" Nodoka stated.

"While that technique makes Ranma a deadly force not to be trifled with, it also makes him the perfect warrior for our village, just one warrior with this technique can bring armies to their needs without even blinking" Cologne stated.

"Except you forget Cologne you couldn't control Ranma before this, what makes you think you can do it now?" Nodoka sneered, eyes widening.

"Because he's already broken" Cologne replied.

"Wrong. Ranma here isn't broken, if he was that aura wouldn't of retracted at Nodoka's request, you know that, he can still recover and if you risked taking him back to your village you put it in danger, he won't obey you and if you tried to push him to do it...and made him angry...it would be a massacre, you wouldn't risk that, even if he was broken he would be still uncontrollable, trapped in his memories, plenty could make him angry I'm sure...and all that would need to happen would be that the anger would fuel the aura and destroy your village, he'd be unresponsive you wouldn't be able to reason to him, I doubt your village elders would even allow him into the village and since they can't risk attacking him, he'd be a constant threat" Jack stated, recalling what Ranma had told him and Nodoka of the Amazons.

"You bring up a valid point young one, he would be a constant danger" Cologne noted.

_'Young'_ Jack inwardly scoffed.

"I will be taking him to a government facility where he would be kept in check and helped to the point he is fully recovered, break off the engagement no doubt an elder like yourself could easily do it" Jack stated, Cologne let out a tired sigh.

"I will postpone the engagement, he is too valuable to risk dissolving it, now leave" Cologne spat, Jack merely nodded and led the other two out.

"Why did you let her off by merely postponing it?" Nodoka questioned.

"Because there's no way they will find Ranma once he's gone, this way they won't try to follow us and they'll never hear about it when Ranma actually recovers, in other words he's free, I couldn't risk pushing them or Shampoo might follow us, she's already proven herself quite sneaky if Ranma's tales are anything to go by, so this way she won't try to follow us even if her Great Grandmother forbade it" Jack explained, Nodoka just hoped he was right and that he could help Ranma, he may not be her biological son but she still saw him as her child.


End file.
